Video Poker table

Hold K-J-A (all paying cards) and discard the 5-5 pair. While the pair of fives guarantees 0 credits, the three high cards offer multiple draw opportunities: potential for a high pair (jacks or better), three-of-a-kind, or straight combinations, which significantly outweigh the low pair's non-paying status.

Hold the Jack of spades only. The dealt hand has no pairs, straights, or flushes. Discarding 9h, 4c, 5c, Tc gives the best chance to form a paying hand (pair of jacks or better, or a straight/flush). Keeping four cards to a straight or flush is suboptimal here.

Hold the two clubs (8c, Qc) to pursue a flush with four cards. Discarding Ah, 2c, Td gives maximum expected value by targeting the 6-credit flush payout while maintaining live cards.

Dealt three aces (Ad, As, Ah) with a 6 and 4. Holding the three aces maximizes EV by keeping the strong three-of-a-kind (15 credits guaranteed) while drawing two cards for a chance at a fourth ace (125 credits) or a full house (45 credits).

Holding K-J-K-A (four cards to a royal: K♣K♠J♦A♠) maximizes EV by pursuing the 4000-credit royal flush jackpot while retaining two pair (K♣K♠) as a safety net if the draw fails to complete the royal.

Holding the Queen gives the best expected value. With only the Queen as a premium card (jacks or better pays 5), I can draw four cards to improve to a pair of queens or better, or hit a straight/flush. Discarding all five yields zero. The Queen-only hold maximizes EV.

Three hearts (Qh, 7h, 8h) with two dead cards. Discarding Ac and 4d to pursue a flush (needs 2 more hearts) or straight draw. This gives the best expected value compared to holding the Ace alone or keeping all five cards.

Holding 4c and 9c gives the best chance to improve. The hand has no made pair, so discarding Ts, 8c, and 5h maximizes draw potential. With two cards to a flush (clubs), we keep both and aim for either a flush, a straight, or potentially improve one card to a pair of jacks or better.

Holding the Queen (high card) gives the best expected value. The other cards (7, 2, 6, 5) are all low cards with no pair potential or straight/flush possibilities. Drawing four new cards gives the best chance to improve to a paying hand (pair of jacks or better, or better).

Hold King and Queen (high cards) to pursue a pair of jacks or better, which is the minimum paying hand. Discarding 5, 8, 8 gives the best probability of pairing one of the high cards or hitting a straight, compared to holding the pair of eights which cannot improve to a paying hand.

No cards form a pair of jacks or better, and no four-card draws to a straight, flush, or straight flush. Discarding all five and drawing fresh is optimal.

9-5-8-7-K has no paying hand (no pair of jacks or better, no straight, no flush). Discarding all five cards gives the best expected value by allowing draws to any possible paying combination. Holding any single card or subset provides no immediate value and reduces draw potential.

Hold only the Ace. This hand has no made hand (no pair of jacks or better, no straight, no flush). The Ace is the most valuable card to retain as it can contribute to a royal flush, straight flush, or ace-high straight if we catch the right cards. Discarding the 9s, 6s, Td, and 5h gives us the best expected value, as the chance of making a paying hand is maximized by keeping the premium card.

Holding the pair of fours and the 5 gives the best expected value. This keeps the pair (which pays 0 currently but improves to trips or full house) and the 5 adds straight possibilities (A-2-3-4-5 or 2-3-4-5-6). Discarding the 3d and 3h removes duplicate low cards that would compete with the pair.

Holding the pair of Kings (Ks, Kh) gives a guaranteed win of 5 credits (jacks or better) and provides the best expected value. Discarding 6h, 4c, and 2h offers three chances to improve to three of a kind, full house, or four of a kind. This is the optimal strategy for a low pair in Jacks or Better.

Hold the Jack and Queen (two high cards), which offers the best expected value for a draw replacement. This gives multiple paths to jacks or better (pair of jacks/queens), while discarding the low cards (7, 2, 9) eliminates weak holdings and maximizes draw potential.

Three diamonds (K, 8, 5) gives a flush draw with two high cards. Discarding 6s and 3c maximizes expected value by pursuing the flush (30 credits if made) while keeping the K for potential pair of jacks or better (5 credits). This balances strong winning potential against modest safety.

Hold the Queen and Ten of clubs, aiming for a flush (4 to a flush) or high pair. Discarding the low cards (4, 6, 2) maximizes expected value with this modest starting hand.

Hold the pair of aces and king for a strong foundation. Discarding the ten and nine gives the best chance to improve to three of a kind, full house, or potentially a straight while keeping the high-card pair that guarantees at least 5 credits back.

I have a pair of Kings which already qualifies for Jacks or Better (pays 5 credits). The best strategy is to hold the K-K-J combination and discard the 7 and 3, as this gives me the strongest chance to improve to two pair, three of a kind, or a full house on the draw while guaranteeing at least a payout.

Hold Q-K-A (three high cards with two broadway cards and an ace). This maximizes chances for a high pair, three of a kind, or even a straight if we connect. Discarding the low cards (4h, 5h) gives the best expected value.

Hold the pair of honor cards (Qc and Kd). This preserves a guaranteed payout of 5 credits if no improvement occurs, while maximizing the probability of completing two pair, three of a kind, or better with the three draws. Discarding 4s, 8d, and 3c gives the best expected value for this unpromising initial hand.

Hold the pair of 4s. This is the only made hand here, and it guarantees a 5-credit payout. Discarding the 7, 2, 3, and remaining card gives us three chances to improve to trips, a full house, or quads. Holding any kicker is mathematically inferior to pure pair holdings in Jacks or Better.

Holding only the King gives the best expected value. The Kh is a high card that qualifies for jacks-or-better payout (5 credits). Discarding the other four cards provides multiple opportunities to hit a paying hand (pair of kings, straight, flush, or better) on the draw. This maximizes expected value compared to holding any other combination.

Hold the Jack of clubs. The dealt hand has no pairs or drawing opportunities. Holding the Jack gives a guaranteed 5-credit payout for jacks or better, while discarding all five cards or other single-card holds offer lower expected value.

Hold the three hearts (Ah, Kh, 5h) to pursue a flush or straight flush draw. Discard Ts and 4c as they don't contribute to any strong hand. This maximizes expected value by targeting high-paying flush outcomes while maintaining flexibility for straights.

Hold the pair of aces and queen. This gives the best expected value by keeping the premium pair (aces) and the high card (queen). Discarding the 5, 8 allows two fresh cards that could complete a full house, three of a kind, or potentially a flush. The pair of aces guarantees at least 5 credits (jacks or better), while the draws offer realistic upside to higher-paying hands.

Holding K-J-A (three high cards with drawing potential) gives the best expected value. The K and J guarantee at least a pair of jacks or better, while keeping the Ace opens flush possibilities and four-to-straight draws (Q-K for broadway straight). Discarding the 2 and 10 minimizes waste.

Holding only the Ace (Ad) gives the best expected value. The Ace is the only card with immediate value as a high card or part of a premium hand (royal flush, four aces, etc.). Discarding 8c, 5s, Qs, 6c gives the draw the best chance to hit paying combinations like jacks or better, straight, flush, or premium hands.

Holding the pair of tens (Ts, Th) gives the best expected value. This guarantees at least a jacks-or-better win (5 credits). Discarding 3c, 9h, and 6d leaves three cards to draw that could improve to two pair, three of a kind, or a full house. Holding both tens maximizes the probability of a paying hand.

Hold the pair of fives for a guaranteed 5-credit payout. Discarding the Q-T-7 gives us three chances to improve to trips, full house, or better while keeping the current pair value.

Hold the King and Jack to pursue a pair of jacks or better (guaranteed 5 credits). Discarding the Ten, 4, and 8 gives the best expected value by maximizing the likelihood of hitting trips, two pair, or a stronger hand while maintaining a solid low-risk floor.

Hold Kd and Js (both are high cards worth 1 credit if paired). Discarding 7h, 2d, and Td gives us chances to hit a straight (4-card straight draw with K-Q-J-T possible with a Q), while keeping our Jacks-or-Better safety. This maximizes EV by balancing flush/straight possibilities against guaranteed payout.

Holding the 2d and 5d gives a chance to complete a flush (three diamonds already). The 3h and Ah are weak; the 9d overlaps with the flush draw. Discarding 3h, 9d, and Ah maximizes EV by pursuing the flush while the ace won't help improve the hand significantly.

Hold Ah and Jh. The pair of jacks is guaranteed 5 credits (break-even). Discarding Tc, 7c, and 3d leaves two high cards (Ace and Jack) that can draw to premium hands: royal flush (if hearts come), straight flush, or at minimum maintain the jacks pair. This maximizes expected value.

No pair of jacks or better, no straight or flush draw. Discarding all five cards maximizes expected value by allowing a fresh draw from the remaining 47 cards, with a chance at any paying hand. This is the optimal play for a completely unqualified hand.

Hold J♥-A♥-7♥ for the four-flush with three high cards. Discarding 8♠ and Q♣ gives the best chance to improve to a flush (9 outs among 47 remaining cards) while maintaining potential for high-card pairs. The 8♠ is unworthy and Q♣ blocks better high-card combinations.

Holding 8s-Ad-8c gives a pair of eights and three cards (8, A, K) toward a straight, flush, or full house. Discarding 3d and Ks optimizes the draw for improvement to three of a kind, full house, or a paying pair.

Hold the 4d-5d-6c for a low straight draw (wheel or 7-high). Discarding Ts-6s is better than holding the pair of 6s because the pair only ties after the draw and doesn't improve, while holding 4-5-6 keeps multiple straight possibilities.

Holding the pair of tens (Ts, Td) and ace (Ac) gives the best expected value. A pair of tens pays 5 credits immediately, and we retain three high cards with potential to draw into a full house, three of a kind, or two pair. Discarding the 3d and 9c maximizes our draw equity.